Hydraulic control means



Sept. 13, 1932. F. N. wHrrEsELl. 1,877,102

HYDRAULIC CONTROL MEANS Original Filed Nov. 6, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet' lSept. 13, 1,932. F. yN. wHlTEsELL HYDRAULIC CONTROL MEANS originenAFiled Nov. 6, 1926 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 13, 1932. F. N. wHlTEsELLHYDRAULIC CONTROL MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 original Filed Nov. e. 192elNVENToR i Patented Sept. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES FREDERICK N. WHITSELL,OF' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FAIRBANK-S, 'MORSE & l

PATENT OFFICE /1 CO., 0F CHICAGOQILLINOIS, AA-CORlPORATION OF ILLINOIS`HiDRAULIc CONTROL Manns4 Original application filed N ovember,

4ling the winding drum of automatic hoists,

whereby the bucket or skip will be hauled up to the storage bin, dumped,lowered to the loading hopper and started on its upward trip againwithout any attention from an attendant.

l .Another object of my device is to provide automatic hydrauliccontrolling means for a drum hoist, which prvides maximum safety i inoperation, and which has means associated therewith for automaticallystopping the drum in' case the regula-r cycle of operation isinterrupted o r interfered with for any cause, y

A further obj ect of my invention is to provide means whereby thehoisting mechanism `.is automatically `,stopped whenever the pressure inthe hydraulicvsystem is, for any cause, lowered beyond a pre-determinedvalue.

A stillfurther object of-my invention is to provide, in a hoistingmechanism of the class described, a control cylinder and piston -havingmeans for retarding the action of the piston for any pre-determinedlength of time and at any predetermined position of the pis- Furtherobjects and advantages of this invention'will appear from the drawingsand the description thereof, and from my co- 'pending application,Serial No. 146,7 20, filed Nov. 6, 1926, issued as Patent No. 1,766,236,

June. 24, 1930, of which the present subjectA matter` is a'division. AAlthough my invention consists lar ely 1n the construction andarrangement o parts hereinafter described and particularly pointl ed outin the claims, yet I do vnot limit -my invention to theprecise form orconstruction. of parts shown or the several parts thereof,

inasmuch as .various alterations may be made without-changing the scopeof my lnvention. In theV drawings, Fig. 1 is a'dlagrammatio 1926, SerialNo. 146,720. Divided and this application led February 10, 1928. SerialNo. 253,412.

showing of a preferred form of my hydraulic system; Fig. 2 is a detailelevation, partly in section, of the hydraulic operatingv cylinder andvalve; Fig. 3 is a' fragmentary detail view of my control-piston valvestem; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4 4 in Fig. 3;Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken along the line 5-'5 in Fig. 3; Fig. 6is a fragmentary sectional elevationy of a modified form ofv my valvestem and operating pistofn; Fig. 7 is an elevational view of a modifiedform of valve stem; and`Fig. 8

is a sectional elevation of a modified form of myV valve ring; Fig. 9isa plan view of a preferred safety cylinder; Fig. 10 is a sectionalelevation taken along theline 9-9 in Fig. 9 and showing, in addition,the safe-V ty control rods and lever; Fig. 11- is a fragmentary view ofmy safety control rod and lever shown in Fig. 10, but shown in a neutralposition.

rllhe reference characters o f the drawings represent like parts throuhout the several views, and are the same as t ose. appearing in myapplication of Serial No. 146,720. The same system of reference is usedin order better to co-ordinate the subject matter of both the presentand the parent applications.

It will be understood that the hydraulic operating mechanism or motorherein described is but one example or embodiment of the presentinvention, and that substantial changes may be made in the describedconstruction without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention, and its underlying principles. The present example isarranged for operative connection with a control shaft,

such as 52, by the movements of which av full 'automatic control ofother mechanism, such as a drum hoist, is effected. The connectionsbetween shaft 52 and the hoisting mechanism` proper form no part of thepresent invention,

but may .be made as set forth in my co-pending application', mentionedabove.

The control shaft 52 may be 'operated by means of hand lever 53,preferably rigidly atmatically by means of a preferred form of myhydraulic operating mechanism through quadrant Gland link 62. Quadrant61 is tached thereto, or it may be operated auto- Y My hydraulicoperating mechanism preferably consists of an operating cylinder 68having a double ended piston 69, adapted to operate therein (see Fig.2). A rocker arm 7 0, preferably having afixed pivot 71', car- ,underthe action of springs 7 8.

ried` in any suitable manner by cylinder 68, is preferabl lemployed to`connect piston'69 to link 62 W ich operates quadrant 61. Piston 69 ispreferably provided at each end with a workin head 72 and 72, each ofwhich heads prefera ly carries a sliding stemrnember 73 and 73 attachedthereto in any suitable manner, and preferably haviiig a lluted crosssection as shown in Fig. 5 with the exception of 'solid portion 79. 74'and 74 designate the cylinder head members for cylinder 68, preferablyprovided with openings 75 and 7 5 through which stems 73 and 73 areadapted to project. End-caps 76 and 76 are preferably attached tocylinder heads 74 and 74, serving to enclose stems, 73 and 73 when atthe outer end of their strokes. Within the cylinder heads, andpreferably adapted to surround each of the stems, are annular valverings 77 and 77 ,-preferably held apart by meansl of springs 7 8. ,Theserings preferably form a close movable'it about thestems and preferablybear againstthe inner end of the end-caps 76 and 76 and the shoulder 78of cylinder heads 74 and 7 4 respectively,

The function of the inner valve ring 77 is, to co-act with a solidportion 79 (see Fig. 4) on stems 73 and 73 to close completely openings75 and at such times when the piston has moved to positions where thesolid portions 79 are directly in contact with the rings 77 Byass valveopenings 80 and 80 are preferab y-provided in the cylinder heads so asto connect the interior of the cylinder heads with the interior of thecylinder 68 at either end. These by-pass valve openings are preferablycontrolled by means of adjustable needle valve members 81 and 81 whichmay be `provided with suitable lock nuts 82 for maintaining any desiredadjustment. Suit- -able pipes 83 and 83 are preferably provided andadapted to connect the interior of'each of said cylinder heads 74 and 74with a four- Way valve 84. Valve 84 is connected with an inlet pipe 85,a drain pipe 86, and may be provided with a rotary valvemember 87,having' passages 88 and 89 therein and adapted to connect each ofthelcylinder head pipes 83 and 83- alternately to the inlet and to thedrain.` lA suitable. lever servesto'operate the valve member 87.

It will be understood that while Ishow a valve of the rotary type, I donot limit my- Lerares self to the use of any particular type .of valveor valves for performin these functions.

ber 87 rotated so as to connect pipe 85 to pipe 83', it will be seenthat fluid under pressure will be applied to working face 72 of piston69 .through the luted passagesof` stem 73 and through opening 75. At thesame time, pipe 83 of cylinder head 74 will be connected to drain pipe86 and the pressure" on working face 72 will be reduced substantially toatmospheric. The piston 69 will therefore be moved to the left (in thegurel' the fluid ahead of face 72 being discharged through opening 75,,the'iuted passages in stem 73 and pipe 83, into drain 86. As piston 69moves to the left it will rotate control shaft 52 in a clock-wise mannerthrough rocker. arm 70, link 62, quadrant 61 and lever 53. This movementof the control'shaft may be used, for example, to stop the hoistingmechanism at either-limit of its travel. If this is the case, a certaintime lag is desirable for the hoist to load or unload. To

this end, it is necessary to retard the action of piston 69 at thispoint. tions 79 of the stems 73 and 73 are preferably so placed thatwhen piston 69 has moved the controls into the position referred toabove, they will start to .co-act with valve rings 77 to close openings75 and 75 into the cylinder. In the preferred construction shown, thetension of springs 78 is preferably so adjusted that the pressure of thefluid being forced out of the cylinder will move the ring -77 away fromshoulder 78 slightly so as to cause the solid portion 79 to coincidewith ring 77 at that end of the piston which is receiving the pressure,slightly in advance of their coincidence at the discharge end. Thisprevents the building up of a sudden pressure at the discharge end ofthe piston and insures that the pressure at the pressure end will alwaysbe in excess of that at the discharge end. It will be noted iny Fig. 2,that ring 77 controlling opening 75 has moved away from shoulder 78under the action of the outgoing fluid ahead of working head 72. Oncethe solid portions 79 have moved into coincidence with rings-77' Thesolidv por? .s-LI

it is evident that no further movement of I piston 6 9 will ltake placeunless pressure be applied v1n some manner'to the working face. This isaccomplished by means of the by-pass openings '80 and l80 controlled byneedle valves 81r and 81.A By setting these valves "at a pre-determinedposition, any amount of fluid 'desired may be admitted -behind theworking face o f the piston, and by this means move ring 77 againstshoulder 78 of head 74 due to the drop in pressure of the outgoing fluidahead of face 72. Fluid under pressure will continue to be admittedbehind face 72 of piston 69, however, through bypass opening 80 and Huidwill be permitted to escape from in front of face 72 through by-,passopening 80. Piston 69 will continue to move, therefore, but it will movevery slowly, the rate of movement being controlled by the needle valves81r and 81. After the solid portion 79 on stem 73 has moved past thering 77 full volume will be admitted behind face 72 through opening 75and piston v69 will begin to move more rapidly to the left (Fig. 2). Atthis instant the consequent rise in pressure ahead of face 72 will forcering 77 away from shoulder 78 of cylinder head 74 and opening 75 will becompletely uncovered to permit substantially unrestricted loW of fluidout of the cylinder ahead of face 72. Movement of the piston to itsextreme left hand position (Fig. 2), moves the control shaft52 in aclockwise direction,

for example, to start the operation of the hoist. When the skip orbucket of the hoist has reached the end of its travel, suitablemechanism (not shown), serves to move a lever 90 to actuate a four-wayvalve 84 to the dotted position in Fig. 2. A suitable 'operating controlfor valve 84 may be seen by reference to my co-pending applicationreferred to above. The described movement of the valve 84 connects apressure inlet pipe 85 to a cylinder head pipe 83 of cylinder head 74,and connects a drain pipe 86 to pipe 83 of cylinder head 74. The piston69 now moves tothe right, (Fig. 2) with an effect on control shaft 5,2similar to that described above, except that the movement is reversed,with respect to directions of motion. The described provision for aneutral position, atime-lag, or loading or unloading interval of ahoist, may be made during each direction of piston movement. It isusually advisable that the motion of piston 69, once a reverse pressureis applied thereto, is very rapid, and that the retarded motion of the fpiston through neutral may be made as slowly as'mdesired. The variousmovements of the piston and the time periods thereof, may obviouslybegregulated to suit the requirements of the mechanism to be controlledby shaft52, or its equivalent. v In Fig. 6 I show a modifiedform of myvalve stem 7 3. Inthis form I prefer to attach the valve stem to theworking face 72 At almost the same heads.

by K ans of-a threaded portion 205,adapted to be screwed into a tappedhole 205 in y the working face, and held in any desired position by anysuitable means such as lock nut 206. It will thus be seen that therelative position of the valve stem may be adjusted with respect to thepiston and that the retarding action as described above, due to theco-action of solid portion 79 and valve rings 77 may be made to occur atany desired position of the piston. By providing my valve stems withv aplurality of solid lportions 79 it is evident that I may secure theabove described retarding action at a plurality of positions of thepiston. In

Fig. 7 I show a form of my valve stem having two such' solid portions 79and it is evident that anynumber may be employed.4

` From an examination of Fig. 8 showing r a modified form `f my valvering 7 7, it will be seen that by varyingthe dimension X of the valvering, I may vary the length of time Vit will take for solid portion 79to move past the valve ring, and therefore vary the period ofretardation of the piston. This would permit a variation of the periodof retardation for any given setting of the bypass valves describedabove, since for any given setting of the by-pass valve, thegreater thedimension X, the greater will be the period of retardation. VVhileI showa valvel ring 77 adapted t0 co-act with the solid portion or portions 79` on thevalve stems, I may eliminate the ring member 77 entirely byproportioning the valve stem and the openingsv and 75 such that the stemmakes a tightmoving fit in the opening. Such a construction wouldoperate just as effectively to close openings 75 and 75 at the desiredtimes, but would require more accurate machine work in aligning thepiston and valve stems with the cylinder The elimination of the valverings 77 would not, however, make my invention inoperativein any sense.

When the described hydraulic operating mechanism is utilized for thecontrol'of auto- -matic machinery of any kind, for example an automatichoist, it is advisable to make provision for an emergency, such asfailure'of pressure, for any reason, in the hydraulic system. Suchprovision is made in the present instance, by ,la safety mechanism, apreferred if Lerares @take the threaded ends of bolts 132. The

heads of these bolts are adapted to bear against flange 133 of head 126,and the function of the bolts is to maintain the relative position ofcap 130 and member 129. It

` will be seen that as bolts 132 are screwed into lugs 131, cap 130 willbe moved to the left as arsimple and positive means for adjusting ythecompression of a resilient member, such as spring 134 adapted to operatelwithin the chamber' 135 formed by member 129 and the inner surface ofcap 130. Spring 134 is.,v adapted to operate between the inside end ofcap 130 and a piston 136, to force the piston to the left in cylinder125 (Fig. 10). Piston 136 preferably carries a piston rod 137 whichprojects through opening 138 in cap 130 and is supported at its free endby means of any suitable bearing member 139. The compression of spring134 is so adjusted, by means of bolts 132, that when the fluid pressurewithin cylinder 125 ahead of piston 136 falls below a pre-determinedvalue, the spring will move the piston 136 and rod 137 to itseXtreme-head-end position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 10. Thecompression is such, however, that when the fluid pressure in thehydraulic system reaches a predetermined value, the consequent pressureupon lpiston 136 through the agency of pipe connection 128 will forcethe piston to the right against the pressure of spring 134 to the posiv.means of the pins 141 and are provided at their opposite ends withslotted members 143, Within which rollers 144, at either end ofvdouble-ended lever 145, are adapted to operate. Lever' 145 may besecured to control Y shaft 52, either by 'a key, or through somesuitable form of clutch, (not shown), to permit disengagement of thesafety mechanism isl desired.

- The operation of my described form of safety device will be readilyseen by an` eX-v amination of Figs. 9., 10and 11. When the mechanism isoperating normally, and full pressure is maintained in the hydraulicsys-A tem, piston 136 and rod 137 will occupy substantially the positionshown in Fig. 10. Rods 142 will therefore have 'substantially theposition shown with respect to lever'145 and it will be seen that, dueto the pivoted mountings of rods 142 and the length of the slots` inmembers 143, lever 145 may be rotated either clockwise orcounter-clockwise with when manual operation of the control shaftcontrol shaft 52 during normal operation. This is shown by the dottedpositions of lever 145 ,in Fig. 10. Should the hydraulic presf' sure inthe system fall below a pre-determined lpressure, for any reason, spring134 will move piston 136 and rod 137 to the left in Fig. 10 untilslotted members 143 have reached the position with respect to lever 145and rollers 144, shown in Fig. 11. Due to the fact that cross head 140is rigidly held on rod 137, the effect of the left-hand move-` ment ofrod 137 will always be to move lever 145 .to the vertical positionshown. This is 'for y evident from an examination of the dottedv sible,the effect of a drop in pressure in the hydraulic system will alwaysmove lever 145 to a vertical position.r Since lever 145 is preferably soconnected to control shaft 52 that when the lever is in a verticalposition, the shaft is so set that all controlsare in neutral, it isevident that a drop in pressure in the hydraulic system, for lanyreason, will immediately and automatically set all controls in neutraland stop the hoist or other equipment.

The-major parts of the hydraulic system have been described in detailabove, preceding the following descriptive matter relating to thepressure supply means and the, fluid connec'ting conduits. The lastmentioned description will be more readily understood when presented inthis order.

A preferred arrangement of my'hydraulic system is shown in Fig. 1.

adapted to be driven from a suitable source of power. Pump 156 isconnected at its suctionv In this ligure, 156 denotes a pump of anysuitable type.

pipe 85. Pipe 85, as described above, is connected at one end to thefour-Way control valve 84, and it is preferably connected at the otherend to the base 162 of an accumulator,

whose function it is to .maintain a constant Vpressure yin the hydraulicsystem. The pres- 4 '177 is connected to pressure release valve 117 atone end, and at the otherend to each end of operating cylinder 68through one-way checkvalves 17 8 so that if for any reasonthe pressureat either end of piston 68 rises momentarily above .the normal pressurein the System, this increase in pressure will be rei lieved throughthese check valves, andluid .will ioW from' the cylinder into the safetypressure system until normal pressure' is restored. Pipe 128 to thesafety cylinder 1 25, is connected to pipe 17 7,as shown, so thatcylinder 125 will be at normal operating pressure at all times, asdescribed above. Pressure release valve 117 is connected at its outletopening (not shown) to drain pipe 86 by means of pipe 86, so that ifvalve 117 is opened, as eX- plained above,` the pressure in pipe 177,and

consequently in pipe 85, will drop to atmospheric, and the safetycylinder 125 will return all controls to neutral and stop the drivenmechanism. Pipe 86provides for the return of fluid to the system throughpipes 86 and- As a means for cutting-off the pressure to the Control.valve 84, land consequently, to the control cylinder 68, immediately thepressure release valve 117 operates, I prefer to insert a cut-off valve180 in the pressure pipe 85. Valve 180, which may be of any suitableconstruction, is controlled by means of a stem 181, a lever 182 pivotedat 183 and' attached at 184 to a plunger rod 185. A suitable adjustingWeight 186 is also-attached tothe free end of lever 182. Plunger rod 185may be operated by anyY suitable form of plunger (not shoWn)` Working incylinder 187 and connected to the safety pressure system through pipe179. It will be seen that as the fluid pressure is built up in thepressure and safety systems, the plunger (not shown) in cylinder 187will be forced upward, under the action of this pressure, therebyopening valve 180 against the action of Weight 186. As soon, however, aspressure release valve 117 releases the pressure in the system, Weight186 will close valve 180, thereby permitting the pressure in b'oth endsof cylinder 68 to drop to atmospheric. Thus when safety cylinder 125returns the controls to neutral, it will not have to move piston69against a pressure, and the setting of shaft 52 Willnot be retarded. ll

In operation, it Will be seen that as soon as pump' 156 is operated, itWill begin to build up a fluid pressure in the main pressure pipe 85 andsafety pressure pipe 177', which pressure is maintained atsubstantiallya constant value by means of the accumulator. As soon as this fluidpressure is 'built up, cut-olf valve` 180 opens and the mechanism isready for operation. If. for any reason, release valve 117 is trippedthe pressure in the safety system Will at once fall to zero. cutfofl'valve 180 Will close, and safety cylinder 125 Will act to set i, to itsclosedposition, and until the fluid pressure has hadsuliicient time tore-set safety cylinder 125 in its normal running position4 through therestricted feeder pipe 178 and open cut-olf valve 180.

From the above description of parts and their operation, it will be seenthat I have provided. a complete hydraulic control system, susceptibleof a variety 'of modifications for different uses,'the essentialfeaturesof which may be vemployed for direct actuation of certain typesof apparatus, as Well as for effecting an automatic control thereof.

` I claim:

1. In a hydraulic control system, a cylinder having a fluid supplyopening therein, a piston in said cylinder, a Huid valve assembly forsaid cylinder comprising a supply valve member carried by said pistonsaid` member having a passage extended into the cylinder, and a valveportion fixedly spaced from the piston face and a second valve memberhaving an opening therein adapted to receive said first namedlvalvemember, said valve members coacting to open and close said supplyopening.

2. In a hydraulic control system, a cylinder having a fluid supplyopenlng in one of its Walls, and a piston4 1n said cylinder, a fluidsupply valve assembl for said cylinder comprising a valve mem er adaptedto be actu` ated by'said piston and including a valve portion Xedlyspaced from the piston face, a spring pressed valveV ring adapted toreceive and co-act with said valve portion to control the passage offluid through the opening in said cylinder.

3. In a uid operated mechanism, a double-- ended operating cylinderhaving a fluid -supply opening at each end thereof, a piston lforcontrolling admission of fluid through said openings. v

4. kIn a fluid actuated mechanism, a doubleended operating cylinderhaving a fluid supply opening at each end thereof, a piston havin aWorking face at each end thereof and a apted to opera-te in saidcylinder, means external to the cylinder, for the selective applicationof fluid pressure to said faces, a movably disposed valve seat for eachof said supply openings, and valve members carried by said faces eachequally and xedly spaced therefrom and adapted to coact with said valveseats for substantially closing said openings at a pre-determinedposition of the piston.

5. In a hydraulic actuating mechanism, a cylinder having an opening in aWall thereof,

a fluid-operated vpiston in said cylinder, a

longitudinally grooved rod constituting a valve element secured to thepiston, and having a portion of even diameter, said. rod 'extendingthrough said opening and said even portion adapted to serve as a closurefor v closure means for the port, including a rod member secured to thepiston, and extending through said port, the rod having portions ofdifferent cross section,-a,n auxiliary port, adapted to admit fluid tosupplement the flow-through said supply port,and means associated withthe auxiliary port adapted to controlthe movement of fluid therethrough.8. In a hydraulic motor, a cylinder, a uid supply port therein, a pistontherein, and means for retarding the supply of fluid to the pistonbetween limits of its travel, said means including a" pair of-valveelements,

one of the elements having an aperture therein adapted to receive theother element,

whereby said elements are adapted to coact to close said supply port,one vof the elements being aflixed in spaced relation I, to-

the piston, y l

9. In a -hydraulic motor, a cylinder having a fluid supply port, apiston operable in the cylinder, and means for retarding the supply offluid to the piston for a predeter-l mined period between limits of itstravel, 40 said means comprising a rod member affixed to the piston, apair of valve elements carried by the rod member and movable intocoincidence adjacent said port; and means for i regulating 'saidperiodof retardation of the piston.

' l0. ln a hydraulic motor, a'cylinder having vvan inlet port, a pistonoperable in the cylinder, and means for arresting the move- P ment oflthe piston for a predetermined peri'od between its limits 'of travel,said means .including a valve having a closure element arranged toreciprocate with the piston and a resiliently positioned, apertured.member lcarried and adapted for actuation by said element, the memberand element coacting to constitute a closure for the inlet port.y

l1. A hydraulic motor comprising a cylinder, a piston operable therein,means forming a port for admitting fluid to the cylinder, @and means,vincluding' an element afiixed to the pistoman apertured memberca'rriedby the element and yieldably positioned adjacent said admissionport, said member adapted to be moved by said element into registrationWith a portion thereof, whereby to nemica between its limits of travel;one of said valves comprising a valve-member carried by the piston andaspring-pressed ring providing a seat for said valve member, the other ofsaid valves comprising an adjustable port, adapted to admit a reducedvolume of Working fluid when said first named valve is closed.

13. In a fluid pressure mechanism, an operating cylinder, a Apistonadapted to move therein, a passage for supplying fluid to said cylinder,and means actuated b y said piston for automatically varying thequantity of fluid` admitted through said passage, said means includinga-rod member having a portion-of relatively enlarged cross section, anda spring pressed sleevevmember, each ofsaid members arranged formovement by the piston one of 'said members being affixed to the piom-and carrying the other member, said members adapted forrelativemovement7 one along another to control admission of fluid through saidpassage. Y

14. In a hydrauliomotor, adapted for operation atvariable speeds inpredetermined cycles, an4 operatinor cylindenhaving a piston adapted tomove tlierein, a main inletport arranged to supply fluid to thecylinderduring the major portion of the ,cycleof operation, and anauxiliary inletport', for supplying fluid to said cylinder duringoperation of the moto-r at relatively reduced speeds, means including anelement afiixed to said piston for automatically varying the rate of owof fluid through said main port intosaid cylinder, andmeans forregulating thesupply of fluid through the auxiliary port, during periodsof ort. v 15. .Ina hydraulic control device, 'a fluidoperated pistonmotor including acylinder having a main inlet port a valve for the mainport includingA an ele-ment secured to the piston, and 'provided with aportion arranged to obstruct said port and reduce the rate of pistonmovement in an intermediate p portion of its path, an auxiliary inletport,

arranged tol supply fluid to said cylinder independently of the mainport, and an adjustable valvei for regulating fiovvv through theauxiliary port, whereby said valves are "adapted conjointly to controlinlet fluid movement. v

FREDERICK N. WHITE'SELL.

reduced flow through said main

